Grocery Game
Grocery Game is a pricing game that uses grocery items and is played for a prize usually valued between $3,000 and $10,000 (although it has also been played for cars and, on two occasions, three rooms of furniture). Having debuted on Price's second episode from September 5, 1972 (#0012D, aired out of order on September 6), Grocery Game is one of the original five pricing games. Gameplay *The contestant is shown five grocery items. The goal of the game is to buy a total between $20 and $22 (originally $21) inclusive. To do this, the contestant chooses an item, and a quantity of that item to buy. The price is revealed, multiplied by the quantity purchased, and rung up on a cash register. If the total is less than $20, they may choose another item and quantity, which is added to their total. This continues until they have spent over $20 or used all five grocery items. The player loses by spending over $22 or by spending less than $20 after using all five items. If the contestant succeeds in spending between $20-$22, he/she wins the prize. History *Grocery Game first premiered on September 5, 1972 (#0012D, the second show, which aired out of order on September 6) and was created by Goodson-Todman staffer Imie Lane Camelli. Its original winning range was $6.75 to $7.00. This was increased to $20-21 on January 26, 1989 (#7124D) due to inflation and was extended an extra dollar on October 6, 2016 (#7634K). In shows produced during the first week of tapings, the contestant was given $100 at the start of the game. If the player won the game or exhausted all five grocery items before reaching $6.75, he/she kept the $100. *Grocery Game was the third pricing game to be won on the day it premiered and it was won for the very first time on its premiere date, September 5, 1972 (#0012D, aired out of order on September 6). *Originally, the game was revealed first and the grocery items were described before the prize was described (similar to Hi Lo prior to 2008). On November 26, 1974 (#1172D), it was changed to have the prize description read before the game was revealed. *From September 5, 1972 (#0012D, aired out of order on September 6) until November 28, 2000 (#1602K), Janice Pennington was traditionally the Grocery Game's cashier. On November 23, 1998 (#0911K), she started to wear reading glasses after she made a typographical error on the previous playing. Since December 21, 2000 (#1634K), any one of the models appearing that day will run the cash register, but it's usually Rachel Reynolds; host Drew Carey will often joke that they "found the model at a grocery store working as a checker." *The first four times Grocery Game was played the contestant was awarded supplies of all five groceries regardless of the game's outcome. *On October 27, 1972 (#0085D), Grocery Game was lost when contestant Marge Escarcega bought 24 Chunky bars on the first purchase. Surprisingly, Marge got to keep the 24 Chunky bars bought in the game. *On April 5, 1991 (#7985D), the game mistakenly used the Shell Game sign. Additionally, the Grocery Game sign was absent on December 23, 1980 (#3922D), October 15, 1993 (#8925D), June 12, 2003 (#2854K), June 1, 2007 (#4015K) and September 21, 2015 (#7211K, the 44th season premiere); the former was because of an abundance of Christmas decorations on the turntable while the latter was a throwback 1972 theme. *On May 1, 1996 (#9963D), the cash register rang up as $21.76; despite this, the "WIN!" light flashed and the winning bell sounded, but Bob apologized for losing for seeing that Katherine went over $21. At the start of the first Showcase Showdown, everyone realized there was an error and that her total was actually $20.76, and so she won the prize. *On October 6, 1999 (#1203K), the cash register malfunctioned and it said $21.45 instead of $20.45. Bob and Janice sort of had a hard time figuring out whether Bonnie Waycaster won or not. But Bonnie was awarded the prize due to a technical win. *During The Price is Right Salutes the U.S. Coast Guard Primetime special on May 21, 2002 (#003SP, aired out of order on July 12, originally rescheduled to air June 6), Grocery Game was played for three different rooms, but sadly it was lost. *Grocery Game’s current cash register can only add up to twenty items per purchase. This was further tested on the April 24, 2004 (#016SP) Million Dollar Spectacular "Salute the Teachers" when contestant Patricia asked for twenty-five of an item. That amount was calculated offstage and, not surprisingly, was over the limit. *For the first few years in the Carey era, the five products involved shared a common theme. Each theme was formerly concocted by Scott Robinson of the show's staff. *The first and only perfect win on nighttime show came in the Dennis James Era when a contestant hit $7.00 on the nose with a few purchases, while the first (and only) perfect win ever on the daytime show came on Christmas Day 1979 (#3532D) when contestant Teri hit $7.00 on the nose with just one purchase. * Dorothy Sye (then known as Dotty Sye), the first player and first winner of Grocery Game (lost her showcase), returned on November 11, 2008 (#4502K, aired out of order on November 3); she got up onstage and played Coming or Going where she lost and also lost in the Showcase Showdown. *On April 13, 2015 (#7091K, aired out of order on April 27), the cash register as Rachel was ringing up the first total glitched out, when she got her teeth fixed. *On March 24, 2017 (#7865K, aired out of order on March 31), the College Rivals episode, Peyton Dilweg (Duke) won a home theatre system with sports package and a Papa John's $1,200 Gift Card. Trivia *The most number of times this game was played in any season was 99. *Grocery Game is a million dollar game. To win the bonus, you can total purchase between $20.00 to $20.20. Foreign versions The game has been adapted for many other countries' versions, with the only major difference being the price ranges: (Another small difference is the Australian version gets more into the theming of the game, with the cashier wearing a colorful smock like the ones worn at Australian supermarkets.) Pictures Grocerygame.png Tpirgrocerygame.jpg|a custom drawing of the Grocery Game by a fan Grocery.jpg 25k245t.png $6.75-$7 Range Grocery Game 1.jpg|Here's Grocery Game without its sign or the WIN!/OVER readout on the cash register from September 8, 1972 (#0015D, aired out of order on September 5) and featured on Disc 1 of the DVD set. Grocery Game 2.jpg|OUCH! Eight cents over! Grocery Game 2b.jpg|But here's better news; a win with 13 cents left to go. Grocery Game 3.jpg|Here's the later look of Grocery Game from the 80s Grocery Game 4.jpg|That's worse than the finishing total above. Grocery Game 5.jpg|Here's better news; a win with two cents left to go. Grocery Game 6.jpg|This is what Grocery Game looks like these days. Grocery Game 7.jpg|The contestant that won did it in one shot, and with 7 cents to spare. Premiere Playing (September 5, 1972, #0012D, aired out of order on September 6) grocerygamepremiere1.jpg|Here's the first "Grocery Game" contestant, Dotty Sye. In addition to a $100 bill, she'll also play for.. grocerygamepremiere2.jpg|a love lounger and a color TV package worth $878. grocerygamepremiere3.jpg|She wants 3 of the bacon which is... grocerygamepremiere4.jpg|...$2.97. $3.78-$4.03 to go. grocerygamepremiere5.jpg|She wants 3 of the Campbell's soups which is... grocerygamepremiere6.jpg|$1.17 for a total of... grocerygamepremiere7.jpg|...$4.14.$2.61-$2.86 to go. grocerygamepremiere8.jpg|She wants 3 of the Lipton chicken stroganoffs which is... grocerygamepremiere9.jpg|$2.37 for a total of... grocerygamepremiere10.jpg|...$6.51. 24 cents to 49 cents to go. grocerygamepremiere11.jpg|She wants one can of Kal-Kan dog food which is 33 cents (a winner) for a total of... grocerygamepremiere12.jpg|...$6.84! grocerygamepremiere13.jpg|She wins the love lounger and color TV package worth $878, and $100 in cash for a total of $978! Perfect Grocery Game Playing (December 25, 1979, #3532D) grocerygamechristmas79-1.jpg grocerygamechristmas79-2.jpg grocerygamechristmas79-3.jpg|She wants 35 of the 5th Avenue chocolate bars which come to... grocerygamechristmas79-4.jpg|...$7.00 (a winner)!!! grocerygamechristmas79-5.jpg $20-$21 Range Grocery Game 8.jpg|WOW! A win with three cents left to go! (the total to win was $20-$21 at this point) GrocGame - Lost by a Penny.jpg|Without a doubt, the most heartbreaking total in the history of this game (at least in the $20-$21 era). Grocery Game 9.jpg|From 2002: Without a doubt, the worst total in the history of this game (at least in the $20-$21 era). Grocery Game (70s Edition).jpg|Notice something here? That's right, no sign! That's because (as noted above), when the game debuted, it had no sign. However, we're still playing with the then-used $20-$21 range here. Grocery Game with the "Shell Game" Sign (April 5, 1991, #7985D) grocerygame(4-5-1991)1.jpg grocerygame(4-5-1991)2.jpg|Wha? No, we're not playing the Shell Game. We're playing the Grocery Game! grocerygame(4-5-1991)3.jpg grocerygame(4-5-1991)4.jpg|First, he picks 5 of the All detergents which come to... grocerygame(4-5-1991)5.jpg|...$20.95 (a winner)!!! grocerygame(4-5-1991)6.jpg A Grocery Game Malfunction (October 6, 1999, #1203K) grocerygamemalfunction1.jpg grocerygamemalfunction2.jpg grocerygamemalfunction3.jpg grocerygamemalfunction4.jpg grocerygamemalfunction5.jpg|She wants 4 of the Dove soaps which is... grocerygamemalfunction6.jpg|...$6.96? Well, that's not right. Add $2 more. grocerygamemalfunction7.jpg|Okay, there we go. Now, that's right. $11.04-$12.04 to go. grocerygamemalfunction8.jpg|She wants 4 of the pizza pockets which is... grocerygamemalfunction9.jpg|$10.40 for a total of... grocerygamemalfunction10.jpg|...$19.36. 64 cents to $1.64 to go. grocerygamemalfunction11.jpg|She wants 1 Bon-Ami cleanser which is $1.09 (a winner) for a total of... grocerygamemalfunction12.jpg|...$21.45?! That can't be right. It's $20.45, which makes her a winner. grocerygamemalfunction13.jpg|The cash register had malfunctioned so Bob and Janice we're having a hard time figuring out if she won or not. But she is a winner regardless of what the cash register says. grocerygamemalfunction14.jpg Patricia Buys 25 Items (April 24, 2004, #016SP) grocerygamemdsteachers1.jpg grocerygamemdsteachers2.jpg grocerygamemdsteachers3.jpg|She wants 25 yams which come to... grocerygamemdsteachers4.jpg|Nothing's there. The cash register cannot go that high. The 25 yams come to $32.25 which is over. grocerygamemdsteachers5.jpg Grocery Game for a Chevrolet Astro Van (April 9, 2005, #019SP, aired out of order on April 16) grocerygamechevyastro1.jpg grocerygamechevyastro2.jpg grocerygamechevyastro3.jpg|She wants 2 Citracal supplements which come to... grocerygamechevyastro4.jpg|...$21.94 (Over). grocerygamechevyastro5.jpg Final Playing with Bob Barker (June 15, 2007, #4035K) grocerygame(6-15-2007)1.jpg grocerygame(6-15-2007)2.jpg grocerygame(6-15-2007)3.jpg|First, she picks 1 pack of Snore Stop tablets. grocerygame(6-15-2007)4.jpg|$7.01-$8.01 to go. grocerygame(6-15-2007)5.jpg|Next, she picks 2 Dial shampoos which come to... grocerygame(6-15-2007)6.jpg|$11.98 for a total of... grocerygame(6-15-2007)7.jpg|...$24.97 (Over). grocerygame(6-15-2007)8.jpg Grocery Game for a Saturn Sky (March 14, 2008, #027SP, aired out of order on February 29) grocerygamesaturnsky1.jpg grocerygamesaturnsky2.jpg grocerygamesaturnsky3.jpg|He wants 3 Alka-Seltzers which comes to... grocerygamesaturnsky4.jpg|...$11.85. $8.15-$9.15 to go. grocerygamesaturnsky5.jpg|He wants 3 of the salsa con quesos which come to... grocerygamesaturnsky6.jpg|...$8.97 for a total of... grocerygamesaturnsky7.jpg|...$20.82 (a winner)! grocerygamesaturnsky8.jpg Deaf Contestant Plays Grocery Game (October 19, 2009, #4871K) grocerygamedeafcontestant1.jpg grocerygamedeafcontestant2.jpg grocerygamedeafcontestant3.jpg|She wants 2 of the milks, which come to... grocerygamedeafcontestant4.jpg|...$2.58. $18.42-$19.42 to go. grocerygamedeafcontestant5.jpg|She wants 1 peanut butter which is $2.58 for a total of... grocerygamedeafcontestant6.jpg|...$5.47. $14.53-$15.53 to go. grocerygamedeafcontestant7.jpg grocerygamedeafcontestant8.jpg|She wants 3 of the jellos which come to... grocerygamedeafcontestant9.jpg|...$3.27 for a total of... grocerygamedeafcontestant10.jpg|...$8.74. $11.26-$12.26 to go. grocerygamedeafcontestant11.jpg|She wants 5 of the cool whips which come to... grocerygamedeafcontestant12.jpg|...$9.95 for a total of... grocerygamedeafcontestant13.jpg|...$18.69. $1.31-$2.31 to go. grocerygamedeafcontestant14.jpg|She wants 1 pie crust, which is a winner! grocerygamedeafcontestant15.jpg|She won by 2 cents!!! grocerygamedeafcontestant16.jpg Carmen's Super Heartbreaking Loss (November 23, 2011, #5723K) grocerygamecarmen1.jpg grocerygamecarmen2.jpg grocerygamecarmen3.jpg grocerygamecarmen4.jpg grocerygamecarmen5.jpg|First, she picks 3 of the 2% milks which come to... grocerygamecarmen6.jpg|...$3.87. She has $16.13-$17.13 left to go. grocerygamecarmen7.jpg|Second, she picks 3 Campbell's soups which come to... grocerygamecarmen8.jpg|$4.77 for a total of... grocerygamecarmen9.jpg|...$8.64. She has $11.36-$12.36 left to go. grocerygamecarmen10.jpg|Third, she picks 3 bags of green beans which come to... grocerygamecarmen11.jpg|$5.67 for a total of... grocerygamecarmen12.jpg|...$14.31. She has $5.69-$6.69 left to go. grocerygamecarmen13.jpg|Fourth, she picks 2 black peppers which come to... grocerygamecarmen14.jpg|$6.70 for a total of... grocerygamecarmen15.jpg|...$21.01 (Over). What a heartbreaker. grocerygamecarmen16.jpg grocerygamecarmen17.jpg grocerygamecarmen18.jpg Grocery Game with Rob Wilson as a Cashier (January 8, 2013, #6172K, aired out of order on October 16, 2012) grocerygamerobwilson1.jpg grocerygamerobwilson2.jpg grocerygamerobwilson3.jpg grocerygamerobwilson4.jpg grocerygamerobwilson5.jpg|She wants 5 Hungry-Man frozen dinners which comes to... grocerygamerobwilson6.jpg|$18.45. $1.55-$2.55 to go. grocerygamerobwilson7.jpg|Shw wants 1 Hunt's Manwich sloppy joe sauce which is $1.89 (a winner) for a total of... grocerygamerobwilson8.jpg|...$20.34! grocerygamerobwilson9.jpg grocerygamerobwilson10.jpg grocerygamerobwilson11.jpg Last Win Under the $20-$21 Range (May 27, 2015, #7153K) grocerygame (5-27-2015) 1.jpg grocerygame (5-27-2015) 2.jpg grocerygame (5-27-2015) 3.jpg grocerygame (5-27-2015) 4.jpg|She wants 2 of the sea salt grinders which come to... grocerygame (5-27-2015) 5.jpg|...$6.98. $13.02-$14.02 to go. grocerygame (5-27-2015) 6.jpg|She wants 2 of the Haagen-Dazs frozen desserts which come to... grocerygame (5-27-2015) 7.jpg|$9.38. For a total of... grocerygame (5-27-2015) 8.jpg|...$16.36. $3.64-$4.64 to go. grocerygame (5-27-2015) 9.jpg|She wants a bag to potato chips which is $3.99 (a winner) for a total of... grocerygame (5-27-2015) 10.jpg|...$20.35! grocerygame (5-27-2015) 11.jpg grocerygame (5-27-2015) 12.jpg From Decades Week (September 21, 2015, #7211K) grocerygamedecadesweek1.jpg grocerygamedecadesweek2.jpg Grocery Game (70s Edition).jpg grocerygamedecadesweek3.jpg grocerygamedecadesweek4.jpg|She wants 2 cookie doughs which come to... grocerygamedecadesweek5.jpg|...$7.98. If they were using the original $6.75-$7 range, she would be over. $12.02-$13.02 to go. grocerygamedecadesweek6.jpg|She wants 2 bacons which come to... grocerygamedecadesweek7.jpg|$15.98 for a total of... grocerygamedecadesweek8.jpg|...$23.96 (Over). grocerygamedecadesweek9.jpg grocerygamedecadesweek10.jpg $20-$22 Range Debut of the $20-$22 Range (October 6, 2016, #7634K) grocerygame (10-6-2016) 1.jpg grocerygame (10-6-2016) 2.jpg grocerygame (10-6-2016) 3.jpg grocerygame (10-6-2016) 4.jpg|He wants one coffee, which is $8.99. grocerygame (10-6-2016) 5.jpg|$11.01-$13.01 to go. grocerygame (10-6-2016) 6.jpg|He wants 2 cereals, which come to... grocerygame (10-6-2016) 7.jpg|$9.98 for a total of... grocerygame (10-6-2016) 8.jpg|...$18.97. $1.03-$3.03 to go. grocerygame (10-6-2016) 9.jpg|He wants 2 animal crackers which come to... grocerygame (10-6-2016) 10.jpg|$3.98 for a total of... grocerygame (10-6-2016) 11.jpg|...$22.95 (Over). grocerygame (10-6-2016) 12.jpg First Win Under the $20-$22 Range (October 10, 2016, #7641K) grocerygame (10-10-2016) 1.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 2.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 3.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 4.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 5.jpg|He wants 4 of the cereals which is... grocerygame (10-10-2016) 6.jpg|...$19.96. 4 cents to $2.04 to go. grocerygame (10-10-2016) 7.jpg|He wants 1 dog food which is $1.99 (a winner) for a total of... Groverygamewin20-22.jpg|...$21.95! Under the old range, he would've gone over and lost. grocerygame (10-10-2016) 8.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 9.jpg grocerygame (10-10-2016) 10.jpg Grocery Game with Kristen Bell as a Cashier (January 24, 2018, #8183K, aired out of order on October 30, 2017) grocerygamebadmoms1.jpg grocerygamebadmoms2.jpg grocerygamebadmoms3.jpg grocerygamebadmoms4.jpg grocerygamebadmoms5.jpg|She wants 3 pizza crusts which come to... grocerygamebadmoms6.jpg|...$8.97. $11.03-$13.03 to go. grocerygamebadmoms7.jpg|She wants 2 cereals which come to... grocerygamebadmoms8.jpg|$6.58 for a total of... grocerygamebadmoms9.jpg|...for a total of $15.55. $4.45-$6.45 to go. grocerygamebadmoms10.jpg|She wants 2 cookies which come to... grocerygamebadmoms11.jpg|$7.98 for a total of... grocerygamebadmoms12.jpg|...$23.53 (Over). grocerygamebadmoms13.jpg From February 7, 2018 (#8203K, aired out of order on January 17) grocerygame (1-17-2018) 1.jpg Grocerygame2018.png grocerygame (1-17-2018) 2.jpg grocerygame (1-17-2018) 3.jpg|She wants 4 of the coffees, which is... grocerygame (1-17-2018) 4.jpg|...$27.96 (Over). grocerygame (1-17-2018) 5.jpg A Grocery Game Blooper (January 2, 2019, #8563K) grocerygameblooper2019-1.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-2.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-3.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-4.jpg|She wants 3 Snuggle detergents which come to... grocerygameblooper2019-5.jpg|Apparently, James doesn't know how to work the register. grocerygameblooper2019-6.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-7.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-8.jpg grocerygameblooper2019-9.jpg|Okay, here we go. Her total is $11.07. She has $8.93-$10.93 left to go. grocerygameblooper2019-10.jpg|Second, she picks 2 paper towels which come to... grocerygameblooper2019-11.jpg|$5.98 for a total of... grocerygameblooper2019-12.jpg|...$17.05. She has $2.95-$4.95 left to go. grocerygameblooper2019-13.jpg|Third, she wants 1 toothpaste which brings the total to... grocerygameblooper2019-14.jpg|...$18.64. She has $1.36-$3.36 to go. grocerygameblooper2019-15.jpg|Fourth, she wants 1 bottle of water which brings the total to... grocerygameblooper2019-16.jpg|...$19.93. She has 7¢-$2.07 left to go. grocerygameblooper2019-17.jpg|Finally, she picks 1 tube of Sparkle Gel which comes to... grocerygameblooper2019-18.jpg|...$23.92 (Over). grocerygameblooper2019-19.jpg YouTube Videos Grocery Game Premiere (September 5, 1972, #0012D, aired out of order on September 6) An early perfect playing of Grocery Game (December 25, 1979, #3532D) The most heartbreaking playing of Grocery Game ever! The cash register malfunctions! (October 6, 1999, #1203K) The worst playing of Grocery Game ever! (November 1, 2002, #2285K) Grocery Game for a truck (May 10, 2012, #5964K) Rob Wilson's Only Time as a Grocery Game Cashier (January 8, 2013, #6172K, aired out of order on October 16, 2012) A Win from 2014 (April 16, 2014, #6703K) Grocery Game for a Prius (October 27, 2014, #6861K) Category:Pricing Games Category:Active Games Category:Grocery Product Games Category:Cash Award Games Category:1970s Pricing Games Category:Spending Habits Category:Must be in the Range to Win Category:Home Base Pricing Games Category:Primetime Pricing Games Category:Correct Price is Told Category:Can Be Finished Immediately Category:Instant Winning Pricing Games Category:Long Play Category:Hard Winning Pricing Games Category:"G" Pricing Games Category:2-Word Pricing Games Category:September Pricing Games